King James Bible
"Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?"
Isaiah employs rhetorical questions to confront Israel's spiritual amnesia, challenging them to recall God's revealed character. The parallel structure emphasizes that divine truth has been accessible through multiple channels—both personal experience and communal testimony. This phrase points to the continuous witness of God's sovereignty throughout Israel's history, from creation narratives through prophetic tradition. The prophet indicts the people for ignoring what has been proclaimed since ancient times, suggesting willful neglect rather than innocent ignorance. The final question elevates the scope to cosmic proportions, asserting that creation itself testifies to God's supreme power. This climactic phrase connects the immediate context—God's incomparable might versus idols—to the universal evidence embedded in the natural order since time began.